Question:
Can those who truly partake in faith of the body and blood of Christ die?
Answer:
We feed upon Christ truly only by faith. And Jesus declares, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (John 6:51). But that He does not mean by this that the one who so eats shall not die, He continues, “Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life [a present possession]; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:54). See also verses 33, 40, 47, 57, 58, 63. Some will be translated, without tasting death, when Christ comes. Of course, these will be children of faith. There will be those who are not the less children of faith who will fall asleep before He comes. God does not count His people dead; they sleep in Him, with life “hid with Christ in God.” (See Colossians 3:3). There will be those who will sleep—not children of faith—on through to the second resurrection. There are those not of faith—who will live to see Christ’s coming. Let not that soul who faces death in Jesus be discouraged; “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.” (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10). He lives better physically who rightly lives by faith, but living by faith, feeding on Christ by faith, he may still fall asleep in death. (See Revelation 14:13).
